In perhaps record time, Big Brother 15‘s houseguests have unleashed a torrent of racist, sexist, and homophobic comments, mostly directed toward other people in the house, and most of which go unchallenged by others. This year, it isn’t limited to just one or two people; as Hamsterwatch reports, “the roll call for racist/homophobic/misogynist remarks now includes Aaryn, Kaitlin, GinaMarie, David, Jeremy, Spencer, and Amanda, in varying degrees.” That’s almost half the cast. (Update: The cast hasn’t stopped with the awful bigoted language: watch the video.)

Before we get to the BB15 comments, these will probably never air on television if history is a guide, so we’ll likely get a sanitized version of the houseguests instead of editing that reflects their actual personalities, attitudes, and comments. Executive producer Allison Grodner has explained why the CBS show ignores awfulness from the houseguests: “We really don’t want to put hateful things out there in our edits.” CBS has similarly defended horrible editing.

I appreciate the desire to not perpetuate and repeat bigotry, but that approach baffles me, considering that other shows–Survivor, for one–have dealt with similar bigotry on their broadcasts. The exact language doesn’t have to air, but why not air the conversations? Why not show these people for who they actually are? After all, producers and network executives all approved them and decided to give them 90 days of attention while using them to earn money. Of course, none of that would fit into the narrow rut of a formula the CBS broadcast has stuck to for years and years.

Here are examples, compiled and expanded from the above sources, video clips, and other sources:

GinaMarie said that, because of her income level, she receives “nigger insurance” (she whispered the n-word, so it’s possible she said the version that ends with “a”). She whispered it to both Nick and Andy, neither of whom challenged her.

GinaMarie said Helen, who’s Asian, “should be kissing our ass and serving us some fucking rice.”

Aaryn said of Andy, “No one’s gonna vote for whoever that queer puts up.” She also suggested he’d win MVP because “people love the queers.”

Aaryn said about Candice, who’s black, “be careful what you say in the dark; you might not be able to see the bitch.” (A month ago, Aaryn tweeted, “Attractiveness comes from inside. What would you look like if your looks mirrored your words and actions?” So much irony.)

GinaMarie said Candice “gets that fuckin’ blackness,” referring to Candice’s reaction to something that happened in the game.

Talking about sheets that smelled bad, David said they were that way because “black Candice” was on them, and then admitted, “that was totally racist.”

Jeremy, who calls the house’s women “bitches,” said of Katilin, “I did touch her vagina today.. she didn’t act like she was happy.. I like to feel around see what’s she’s working with.. see if it’s a nice meat wallet … I know she’s on her period.”

Spencer called Andy “Kermit the fag”; Amanda called Andy “Faggoty Ann” (McCrae later called her out for that language, but she defended it).

Spencer said that the medical torture conducted by Nazi doctors was beneficial and praised Hitler’s speaking abilities, even while acknowledging that he’d be criticized for that.

Katilin said she likes gay people but they’re “untrustworthy in a game like this.”

Ragan Fox, who was a cast member on the 12th season, asked in an open letter to producers, “What’s the point of casting racial, ethnic, and sexual minorities if production’s going to edit out the racism, ethnic discrimination, and homophobia that these people encounter inside the house?” and added, “If you really want to provide a groundbreaking twist, SHOW CBS VIEWERS HOW SOME STRAIGHT, WHITE PEOPLE talk about gays, Asian Americans, and African Americans.”

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about Andy Dehnart

Andy Dehnart is a journalist who has covered reality television for more than 15 years and created reality blurred in 2000. A member of the Television Critics Association, his writing and criticism about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Playboy, Vulture, and many other publications. Andy, 38, also directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he teaches creative nonfiction and journalism. He has an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College. More about reality blurred and Andy.

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